Chapter 47 Chapter 47 [VIP]
Yuan Mu had known Xi Rongjing for a long time, even earlier than he had known the emperor.
She was a very young child at that time.
Xi Rongjing's career was not going well when he was young. Whenever he had a day off, he would come to Qingyun Temple alone. He wore ordinary green clothes and always fed the fish by the flower pond.
He is a nobleman with a good temper.
Gentle as jade, with elegant manners.
Later, when Yuan Mu entered the palace and was going through the most difficult times, he also sought help from Xi Rongjing.
Although he could not provide her with any help, he tried his best to comfort her.
In Yuan Mu's heart, Xi Rongjing is the epitome of a son of an aristocratic family. He is graceful, elegant and noble, a perfect young man like jade.
She didn't know what had happened to Xi Rongjing in the past two years.
But he has obviously changed a lot.
Xi Rongjing said something similar two years ago.
Yuan Mu didn't dare to trust him completely at that time, so he rejected his kindness.
When she was recuperating in the Prince of Chu's mansion, Xi Rongjing broke into the mansion once. Later, when she was staying in Shuofang, he also went there once.
He was a gentle man, but at that time he seemed to be crazy.
Yuan Mu always felt that Xi Rongjing was suspicious of the fact that she was not dead.
He seemed to have realized long ago that it was the King of Chu who had hidden her by his side.
Yuan Mu pulled her hand back. She held the white jade cup with gold rim, and her knuckles felt slightly hot. She raised her eyes to look at Xi Rongjing, and suddenly felt a little strange.
She whispered, "Why did Mr. Xi suddenly say this?"
The golden afternoon sunlight shone on Yuan Mu's face. His cold, snow-white face showed a hint of ignorance, and his clear, watery eyes were free of any impurities.
It's like the bright moonlight falling on the center of the lake, or like the light flowing along the mountain stream along the snow.
Yuan Mu had been away from the palace for more than two years. His appearance had become more youthful and his height had grown a little taller.
But compared to before she left the palace, she seemed to be more naive.
There was still a hint of fragrance on Xi Rongjing's fingertips. He picked up the cup, his Adam's apple rolling, and drank half a cup of tea.
His eyes darkened slightly, and his voice lowered: "Because I think you didn't come back voluntarily."
No one outside knew about Yuan Mu's affairs, and few people knew about the deep conflict between her and the emperor. After she came back again, many people thought that she had really been ill for more than two years.
But Xi Rongjing knew everything.
His head was slightly lowered and his expression was a little gloomy.
"Why didn't you come to me back then?" Xi Rongjing murmured, "It's not like I couldn't take you away."
He pressed his knuckles against the bloody spot on his forehead, leaving shallow scars on his slender finger bones.
Because Xi Rongjing's fingers were white, Yuan Mu had never noticed that he had old wounds on his hands.
She looked for a moment and then heard Xi Rongjing say this.
At that moment, Yuan Mu's eyes trembled.
She looked at Xi Rongjing in astonishment, pursed her lips, and whispered, "Lord Xi and I are not related in any way. There's no need for you to take this risk."
Yuan Mu was polite and courteous, but his words were distant.
Xi Rongjing raised his eyelids, looked at Yuan Mu, and said slowly, "Then why are you willing to follow Li Congzhan and leave?"
Li Congzhan is the name of the King of Chu, and few people call him that.
Xi Rongjing and him originally had a good relationship, but in the past two years, they seemed to be on opposite sides.
Yuan Mu's first reaction was that Xi Rongjing really knew everything.
Why does he know so much?
Yuan Mu's fingertips stroked the wall of the jade cup, and the fragrance of flower tea was on his fingertips.
"What are you talking about, Mr. Xi? I don't quite understand," she said with lowered eyes. "I've just been recuperating for the past two years."
Yuan Mu's expression was calm. After being stunned just now, he quickly regained his composure.
Xi Rongjing stared at Yuan Mu, with a hint of darkness in his eyes.
Finally, I grew up.
If Yuan Mu, who was fifteen or sixteen years old, heard him say this, he would probably cry with joy.
"Are you blaming me for not taking you away earlier?" Xi Rongjing asked in a low voice, "But I didn't know that something like that would happen."
His expression was gloomy and his tone was filled with emotions that Yuan Mu could not understand.
"How could you be so gullible?" Xi Rongjing exhaled, "Why did you pick on him when you could pick on anyone else?"
His hands were clasped together, and his eyes were filled with fatigue.
When Yuan Mu first heard it, she thought Xi Rongjing was talking about what happened when she first entered the palace, but after a moment she realized that he was talking about something that happened even earlier.
Did he ever think of taking her away?
Yuan Mu’s perception of love is actually not strong.
No one taught her how to love. It was completely dominated by the instinct of first love that made her fall in love with Helan Zhen so boldly.
But when Yuan Mu heard Xi Rongjing's words, he almost instinctively sensed that something was wrong.
"Everyone has their own destiny, and the world is unpredictable." She avoided his gaze. "Looking back on the past will do no good."
"It's a place," Yuan Mu whispered, "but if that's the case, Mr. Xi, please don't say it again in the future."
She looked out at the clear sky.
this.
But Yuan Mu really didn't want to drag anyone down with him. The King of Chu was the emperor's only brother. The emperor was fine just now, but how could others be so lucky?
She felt the same when she thought of the imperial physicians and eunuchs who had helped her.
After discovering that Yuan Mu had drunk contraceptive soup, the emperor executed a large number of people.
He ordered the execution of not only the imperial physician who provided her with medicine, but also the maid who helped her decoct the medicine.
The emperor's coldness is engraved in his blood. He is used to having the power of life and death. He never hesitates to kill and never cares about anyone's life.
Xi Rongjing looked at Yuan Mu silently for a long time without saying a word.
Yuan Mu didn't say anything more. She stood up and called softly, "I'm not feeling well. Someone, please escort Mr. Xi out of the palace."
The eunuchs and palace maids were waiting outside.
In the past, Yuan Mu had no freedom to meet guests. The emperor always had people following her, and there was always another pair of ears behind the wall.
Now at least he allowed her the freedom to entertain guests.
Yuan Mu didn't even dare to imagine what the emperor would do if he heard Xi Rongjing's words in the past.
The maid came in quickly and asked, "Do you want to call the imperial physician, Madam?"
Yuan Mu stood by the pavilion and shook his head: "No need."
After Xi Rongjing left, the huge palace returned to silence again.
The window is half open, the sun shines brightly, and the summer breeze gently lifts the book.
Yuan Mu's fingertips fell on the pages of the book, and she felt uneasy. Xi Rongjing had already left, but every word he had just said seemed to be engraved in her heart.
The late queen was from the Gaoping Xi clan.
Xi Rongjing was the emperor's confidant and had a close relationship with him. Despite his young age, he was already an important official.
During the turmoil, the Xi family was undoubtedly a hundred times more powerful than the Yuan family.
After all, Yuan Wei went to great lengths to gain the throne for the sake of profit, and the Xi family is a community closely related to the interests of the imperial family.
Xi Rongjing is a gentleman who restrains himself and returns to propriety.
Yuan Mu couldn't imagine that he would have such thoughts and say such words.
Until the emperor returned in the evening, her thoughts were still a little confused.
The little prince has been staying in Nangong for the past two days. The heat is too severe, so he can only use an ice jar every day, but children cannot stand the cold.
He caught a cold two days ago and still has a runny nose.
The emperor sent the little prince to Nangong temporarily.
Nangong is a secondary palace, but its design is actually more comfortable than the imperial palace which serves as the main palace.
The terrain of the imperial palace is high in the north and low in the south, and the climate is hot and humid, which makes it uncomfortable in summer. This is also an important reason why Emperor Gaozu and the late emperor liked to go to the temporary palace to escape the summer heat.
Another reason was that the emperor was afraid that the little prince would infect Yuan Mu.
Yuan Mu was prone to fever. She had only been back in Jingzhao for a few days, and the emperor didn't want her to be bedridden again before she had enough time to have fun and relax.
After sending the little prince to Nangong, they briefly had their own world of their own again.
The emperor had no obsession with his offspring, and his feelings were just like those of an ordinary father for his son.
As for more, there isn't any.
He loves this child because he loves the little prince. The little prince is Yuan Mu's blood, so he is special.
It’s not because the little prince is his eldest son.
Yuan Mu was wearing an outer coat. She sat by the window, holding a book and reading it slowly.
The fragrance of flowers came in through the window lattice. A fallen flower was floating on her shoulder, and the light pink flower made her snow-white face look delicate.
But Yuan Mu's brows were slightly furrowed, as if he was not feeling very at peace.
The emperor approached Yuan Mu and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
He was dressed in a moon-white suit with cloud and crane patterns. He looked elegant and graceful, as graceful as an immortal, like a young man. The overly strong and oppressive feeling was much lighter.
The emperor used to always wear dark-colored robes, but now he values the virtue of water, and black is also the most respected color.
Apart from his formal attire, most of his casual attire is also dark in color.
But recently the emperor often wears robes of much brighter colors.
Yuan Mu raised his eyes to look at him and shook his head gently: "Nothing."
Xi Rongjing came today. The two didn't talk for long before Yuan Mu ordered him to leave. The emperor didn't know what happened, but he thought it might be related to Xi Rongjing.
After the fire in Qingning Palace two years ago, Yuan Mu never appeared again.
People outside were talking about it, not to mention the nobles who were well-informed and frequently visited the palace.
Xi Lanyan heard the news from somewhere, but she thought Yuan Mu had really passed away.
At a banquet one day, she came to him privately.
The emperor was in a bad mood during that time, and he let Yuan Mu in because she had a good relationship with him.
But Xi Lanyan's first words were: "Your Majesty, is my sister really dead?"
The emperor's death is called "beng" and the princes' death is called "hong".
Death is a word used only by common people.
Xi Lanyan's words were extremely disrespectful, and the emperor frowned.
He was about to say something when Xi Lanyan said tearfully, "The little prince is still young, and your sister left him like this, leaving him alone and without anyone to take care of him. I, I am willing to take care of the little prince for your sister..."
This sounded nice, but the emperor's expression immediately turned cold.
He scolded in a low voice: "Do you know what you are saying?"
"I know, Your Majesty..." Xi Lanyan cried, "Please let me enter the palace, even if it's just as a concubine. I have always wanted to stay by your side."
Her sincere confession did not win any sympathy from the emperor.
There was disgust in his eyes, as if he was looking at something unclean.
"Your sister treated you so sincerely," the emperor stood up and looked down at Xi Lanyan. "So you actually have this in mind?"
Xi Lanyan dressed up specially today and spent a long time carefully applying her makeup.
She deliberately imitated Yuan Mu, wearing a snow-white robe and not wearing too many pearl and jade hairpins in her hair.
The seemingly natural makeup reveals a pitiful and aggrieved feeling.
This must be a look that men like.
But Xi Lanyan never expected that the emperor would speak like this.
Men are always fickle. Even the most reserved man will not say "no" when a beautiful woman approaches him.
Now that Yuan Mu has just passed away, the emperor should be in need of Linglong Jieyuhua's service the most.
Xi Lanyan didn't want to be so hasty. She was still hoping to slowly seduce the emperor and make him fall in love with her, but the emperor had no one else around him now. She was afraid that if she came too late, someone else would take advantage of the situation.
But there was only cold disgust in his eyes.
"That's not what I meant, Your Majesty..." Xi Lanyan's fingers clenched, "I just wanted to share your worries..."
But the emperor's eyes were cold and fierce. He pressed, "Does she know about this? Have you told her?"
He didn't care about her feelings at all, he only cared about whether this matter would affect Yuan Mu.
That was a dead person, with a bad background and a bad fate.
Apart from being able to serve men and having a chubby belly, what else can Yuan Mu compare to her?
Xi Lanyan's eyes were red and she couldn't say a word.
But the emperor had no intention of speaking to her anymore. He called the eunuch over in a low voice and said nonchalantly, "Go and interrogate her."
After knowing each other for so many years, Xi Lanyan thought that even if the emperor did not love her, he would at least care for her as a sister. But the fact was that she was still too naive.
After that incident, Xi Lanyan was never allowed to enter the palace again.
However, after that interrogation, she seemed to lack the courage to enter the palace again.
The emperor felt that this matter was over.
But he forgot that Yuan Mu and Xi Lanyan had a good relationship.
Seeing Xi Rongjing coming without Xi Lanyan by his side, she must have felt very strange.
The emperor treated Empress Yuan with respect in front of others. When he was most indulgent towards Yuan Mu, he did not do anything to Empress Yuan.
All aristocratic couples are like this.
As long as Yuan Ying doesn't touch his weak spot, he can tolerate her for a long time.
It was only when the emperor regained his memory later that he realized how deeply he had hurt Yuan Mu unknowingly. He demanded her chastity and did not allow her to have any contact with other men.
But he had two thousand beauties in his harem, and he still loved Chong Yuanying in public.
This was the first time the emperor hesitated about something.
He didn't know whether he should tell Yuan Mu the truth.
The emperor didn't want anything to affect her mood, not to mention that she was quite annoyed with him now.
But if he didn't tell her, Yuan Mu would definitely be very curious why Xi Lanyan didn't enter the palace.
When the emperor was hesitating whether to speak, Yuan Mu suddenly stood up and whispered, "Let's eat."
The little prince was not here, so we had a quiet dinner.
Yuan Mu was full of worries, but he had no intention of saying a word to the emperor. It was still early after dinner.
She was holding the kitten and reading a book on the terrace. When the clepsydra clock said the time, she went straight to take a bath.
After the emperor regained his memory, he thought that as long as he told Yuan Mu the truth, they would be able to get back together and be as close as they were in Qingyun Temple.
He was not panicked when he forced her back to Jingzhao.
As long as time is long enough and Yuan Mu sees his sincerity, they will gradually become closer.
But Yuan Mu didn't do that.
There seemed to be a deep gap between her and him, and they were as distant from each other as strangers.
After entering the tent, the emperor wanted to hold Yuan Mu in his arms and kiss her face, but as soon as she noticed his gaze, her body tensed up.
"Don't touch me," her voice trembled slightly, "You promised me."
The way Yuan Mu looked at him was not like she was looking at her former lover, but like a bad guy who wanted to abuse her.
The emperor looked stunned. There was a very bad past between them.
That was something he could never erase.
Yuan Mu was afraid of pain, but he made her shed the most tears. The person he hurt the most was the person he once held dear to his heart.
But at that time, didn’t Yuan Mu regard him as everything in his life?
The emperor lowered his eyes and said softly, "You go to sleep first. I'll go to the front hall. I have some things to deal with."
Only after he left did Yuan Mu relax a little.
Her fear of contact with him was instinctive.
Yuan Mu didn't like Ziwei Palace that much because she had been tortured everywhere here.
When she saw the tall bronze mirror, she immediately thought of the shame of being forced to pull the chain in front of the mirror.
It's no use shedding tears or begging for mercy.
What the emperor loved to see was Yuan Mu's collapse. He wanted her to voluntarily do everything he asked. He enjoyed the feeling of torturing and humiliating her.
The long-ago painful memories are not gradually forgotten with the passage of time, but instead become exceptionally clear at certain moments.
Yuan Mu sat up, hugging the quilt. She curled up in the corner of the bed curtain, and her already heavy heart became even more troubled.
What she didn't know was that the emperor didn't close his eyes all night.
He and the bachelor on duty had been dealing with something for a long time, and it was completely fine to deal with it tomorrow.
But the emperor just reviewed the documents silently.
At dawn, he returned to the Ziwei Palace, changed his robes simply, and continued to prepare for the court meeting.
The emperor only rested for a while after the court meeting ended.
He summoned the imperial physician, not for his own matter, but for Yuan Mu.
"How can I make her feel better?" The emperor said softly, "We have had some unpleasant experiences in the past, and she is very afraid of me."
His almond-shaped eyes were slightly drooped, and there was a hint of confusion in the eyes of this man who was usually strong and cold.
Heart disease cannot be completely cured by any medicine.
"The person who tied the bell must be the one to untie it," the old, white-bearded imperial physician said kindly, "As long as you are willing, the Empress will get better one day."
This is a very subtle advice.
Someone had said something similar before, but this time the emperor listened.
If the King of Chu could make Yuan Mu happy and healthy, then naturally he could too.
What's more, he has the most important trump card, which is the little prince.
Yuan Mu would hate him, but he would never hate the little prince.
As soon as the news arrived from Nangong saying that the little prince had recovered from his illness, the emperor sent someone to bring him back.
As soon as the child returned to Ziwei Palace, he threw himself pitifully into Yuan Mu's arms, as if he had suffered a great injustice.
He wiped his tears and said, "I miss you, mother."
Yuan Mu wondered what was wrong with the little prince, but she didn't expect that after a while, when she heard this sentence, she stroked the little prince's face and said with a mixture of laughter and tears: "Mother misses you too."
Seeing her smile, the emperor felt much more relaxed.
He could finally return to Ziwei Palace at night with peace of mind, instead of secretly kissing Yuan Mu like a thief in the dead of night.
Time passes leisurely like this.
It is like a slowly flowing stream, or like an underground river that appears calm on the surface but is actually silently surging.
But at least until late June, they hadn't had any conflicts.
During these days, Yuan Mu slowly met a few more guests and took over the long-forgotten wind seal.
Before she left, the emperor briefly let Concubine Shu take charge of palace affairs.
Later, when Yuan Mu left, he ordered the execution of a large number of people. The originally lively harem became increasingly cold and indifferent. Palace banquets were rarely held, and naturally there were no palace affairs to deal with.
The emperor did not dare to talk to Yuan Mu directly about the matter of establishing a queen.
She wouldn't think of this as a favor, but would only think that he wanted to trap her even more tightly.
The emperor handed the Phoenix Seal to Yuan Mu tentatively. He didn't expect that she would listen for a moment and then softly say, "Okay."
At night when she fell asleep, he hugged her from behind, buried his face in her neck, and sniffed her fragrance morbidly.
He had caused her so much injustice.
This time he wanted to put everything in front of her, but he was afraid that she would not accept it.
Only time can heal everything.
The emperor didn't think that he would be inferior to the King of Chu. The King of Chu could gradually rebuild the broken Yuan Mu and live a peaceful and beautiful life, so he could do it too.
After all, what he can offer is this world.
But no one among them could have imagined that the accident would come first.
-
At the end of October, the first snow fell in Jingzhao, and the little prince was about to turn two years old.
There is no nationwide celebration for the crown prince's birthday. Usually, only the Eastern Palace will hold a banquet to celebrate.
The little prince didn't have a royal palace yet, so Yuan Mu held a banquet for him.
He is the little birthday boy, and the longevity noodles he eats are also a small bowl.
Those who attended the banquet were all very close ministers to the emperor, as well as the little prince's teachers. In addition to singing and dancing, the banquet also featured simple acrobatics.
The emperor cared about the little prince, but he never celebrated his birthday.
This was the little prince’s first official birthday. He had a sweet smile on his face and was as well-behaved as a porcelain doll.
It's already a bit cold in November.
Therefore, the banquet was held in the palace.
But Yuan Mu still wore her outer cloak. She stroked the hand warmer, lowered her eyebrows and looked at the little prince with a smile, and said softly: "I wish our Ah Fei peace and happiness, and everything goes well."
She was in charge of everything at the banquet, even the bowl of longevity noodles was made by her herself.
Even the emperor had never received such treatment on his birthday.
When the little prince fell asleep, he whispered, "Can you make me a bowl of longevity noodles next year?"
"No," Yuan Mu said coldly, "I don't like cooking for someone who throws away the food I make."
"I really didn't mean it, A'Luo," the emperor's voice changed slightly, "I was poisoned before, so I couldn't eat the osmanthus cake just now. If you make it again, I will definitely eat it all."
He explained many times, but Yuan Mu still ignored him.
Seeing Yuan Mu close his eyes, the emperor lowered his voice and said slowly: "Then I will do it for you, okay?"
She opened her eyes suspiciously and asked, "Can you?"
"If it's for A'Luo," the emperor said softly, "I'm willing to learn anything and do anything."
The love words he said were very cheesy, but coupled with his beautiful face, they sounded much more touching.
But Yuan Mu still ignored him.
She pulled up the quilt, buried her face in it, and said in a muffled voice, "You still have to prepare for fasting tomorrow, so go to bed early."
The winter solstice is just a few days away.
The emperor was halfway through his words, but it was not easy to carry Yuan Mu out of the quilt. He said helplessly: "Okay, let's go to sleep now. You come out too, okay?"
Yuan Mu hummed in the quilt and came out only after the lights were turned off.
When the emperor saw her like this, his heart softened.
On the day of the winter solstice, the weather was fine.
Although it was a bit cold, the biting cold wind finally stopped howling wildly.
When the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven was over, Yuan Mudu was still asleep until his servant came hurriedly to report.
The man seemed to have forgotten that the emperor had gone to offer sacrifices to heaven. As soon as he stepped into the hall, he hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, something has happened to His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu!"
Before Yuan Mu could even stand up, the attendants hurriedly stopped him and said, "Your Majesty has gone to the outskirts of the capital to offer sacrifices to the heavens. What are you doing here at this time?"
The man also recalled it and said repeatedly: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it happened suddenly... I..."
His voice trembled slightly, and he wanted to walk out quickly.
But Yuan Mu, who came out of the inner hall wearing an outer robe, stopped him. Her brows were cold and her voice was low: "Give me the document."
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